Every Woman Can Breastfeed! A rant.

I get so mad when I hear this statement. When a mom who has been supplementing due to lack of growth, lack of wet and poopy diapers asks for advice on increasing supply and everyone shouts "STOP SUPPLEMENTING!" I become enraged. It isn't as SIMPLE as that.
.
Do they have any idea how badly I'd LOVE not to supplement? Not have to drag bottles and formula around with me, everywhere I go. Just pull out a boob and feed my baby, leaving her satisfied?
Do they know I've tried every herb under the sun, I've pumped like a maniac, I've nursed on demand, I've ordered medications from Australia, for God's sake. And, I almost starved my baby. If I didn't supplement, my baby would be sick, sick, sick.
So, I'm tired of hearing "stop supplementing, your body will make up the difference" because sometimes it WON'T. And that makes me, a mom who's body just WON'T, feel like a huge pile of crap. Like it's something I'm doing or not doing that's keeping my body from doing what it should.
I've worked incredibly hard with 3 different babies, trying to breastfeed. And if it wasn't for supplementing, my babies wouldn't have survived.

So, to all those moms out there with your full milk supplies, maybe suggesting cutting down the supplements would be better than stopping cold turkey. Cut down little by little, and if baby is still doing well, still gaining, still peeing and pooping enough, cut down a little more. And maybe, maybe, you'll be able to stop supplementing altogether. But maybe not. And you shouldn't have to feel like a failure if you can't. Because sometimes, you really can't.